Relationship between seed sowing depth with survival and seedling height growth of Manna Oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) (Case study: Kamfirouz, Fars province)

Manna Oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) is a slow growing dominant tree species in the Zagros forests of Iran. This tree covers about 291000 ha of total forest area in Fars province. In order to study the effects of seed sowing depth on seed germination and height growth of seedlings, an experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with 4 replications in 1995. Seed sowing depths included: 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 cm, manure treatments were mixture of soil and manure in the ratio of 50 to 50, mixture of soil and manure in the ratio of 80 to 20, and soil alone. Investigation was located in a 5600 m² land area in an oak forest area in Kamfirouz district, northwest of Fars province. The height of the seedlings was recorded two times during 2001 and 2004 years. Results showed significant differences among different sowing depth levels for germination rate and seedling height. Results indicated that the best treatment for having maximum seed germination and seedling height is 2.5 cm sowing depth. Interaction of sowing depth and soil treatment was not significant on germination rate, while it significantly affect the height growth of oak seedlings.